About Steve Crippe, Inc.

Company Overview

Steve Crippe has been known for offering Exceptional Quality United States Stamps to discriminating collectors, since 1993. The business began as a 'traditional' stamp dealer business, buying and selling stamps. Today, we stand apart from virtually all other US stamp dealers, with our business model.

Beginning in 2003, as gradedstamps.com became more established, (our first website was launched in 1996), we were asked by our collector clients, to sell their surplus stamps for them - stamps they had replaced with better quality examples. By 2013, our business had evolved into a formal consignment business model, not unlike a typical stamp auction style business operation. The difference being a net-price vs. bidding, selling format.

We have fostered the consignment business model, as we recognized we could offer a much wider and more diverse selection of Exceptional Quality Stamps, than we could ever acquire on our own by buying at auction or privately. There is no 'warehouse' for high quality stamps, so to be able to offer a comprehensive selection to our clients, we expanded our consignment program beyond current collector clients, to also include entire collection consignments. A good example of our success with an entire collection consignment is the Lonestar Collection, a terrific 19th Century US collection with valuation in high six figures.

Information. We recognize it can be challenging for collectors to research stamp values, given the extent of variables that exist in properly valuing stamps. Ten years ago, we began compiling our sales information and freely provide that information on gradedstamps.com Our Sales Archive, provides gradedstamps.com sales history for thousands of individual stamps we have sold. This archive offers detailed information about each stamp we have sold; with date of sale, price, condition and grade specifics, high quality photographs of the stamp and certificate, and other reference information.

Steven Crippe

Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Steve started collecting stamps at a young age, developing an early affinity for stamps with production mistakes after his own purchase of a miscut booklet at a Post Office window in the 1960's. His interest in the fascinating sub-specialty of Errors remains strong to this day, and he is recognized as one of the leading experts in this fascinating field.

After 25 years of Circulation Management experience at The Seattle Times, Steve retired from the newspaper business in 1999 to launch a full-time, rare stamp business, initially selling stamps to collectors through sales booths at major stamp shows across the USA. Quickly recognizing the power of the Internet, he developed a custom-software website dedicated to the sale of rare stamps, migrating virtually all of his business to the online venue by 2004.

Steve was the first national-level stamp dealer to embrace third-party grading, introduced to the stamp market in late 2002 by Professional Stamp Experts (PSE). His leadership in this "new stamp market" was noticed, and followed by other dealers, and then ultimately, by stamp auction firms, who also began offering graded stamps to their clients. In 2008, Steve was recruited by Heritage Auctions to open a stamp auction division. gradedstamps.com continued operation while working with Heritage and resumed full time operation in June of 2010.